"He plays without fear, with confidence," said Capello. "It's not normal to be so young and so good."

Wenger, Wilshere's boss, was more cautionary: "We've given him the chance to play at this level and the potential is there."

Wilshere, 17, may be prodigiously gifted and have a huge future ahead of him, but his current Premier League experience amounts to just six minutes as a substitute.

Walcott, if you recall, had not even played in the Premier League when Sven Goran Eriksson decided to take him to Germany and, unsurprisingly, played no part in the tournament.

England may have a tradition of giving teenagers a chance in major tournaments, Michael Owen at the 1998 World Cup and Wayne Rooney at Euro 2004 - both of whom were 18 - examples of how gambling with youth can pay off.

But both Owen and Rooney had already established themselves in the Premier League and at international level and, as such, justified their respective call-ups to play on the major stage.

Although Wilshere has drawn comparisons with Rooney, he lacks the Manchester United and England striker's belligerent streak and bullish physique and will need time to develop a resistance to the inevitable harsh treatment that awaits him.

The saying "If you're good enough, you're old enough" often rings true, and Wilshere may yet emerge as a genuine candidate for Capello's 24-man squad for South Africa next summer.

But one thing guaranteed to ruin talent is too much hype and expectation. That is why Wilshere must be allowed to progress this season without selection for the World Cup squad hanging over him every time he goes out to play.